07 October 2013

Colour Key

Now open for the month of October at LEA6 is Rebeca Bashly's Colour Key, an impressive and enigmatic build that takes the visitor on a linear journey that roughly winds from the top of the massive structure down to the bottom, about 350 meters below. It's a dark and mysterious place (click on any image here to zoom in), and sometimes it can take a moment or two to determine where we're to go next, although the path is always eventually obvious. And objects can be disproportionately large, throwing off our sense of scale and distance. I recommend that if you're running with optimal graphics that you disable shadows entirely, or you'll really be groping in the dark.

Keys, as the title suggests, are prevalent here, as are keyholes and chains: figures appear to wrestle with fate or circumstance in some way that's not entirely clear. And we begin by walking a wooden plank up to the yawning chasm of a giant meat grinder. "It is all about human nature, breaking your spine to find answers that are under your nose. Explore and discuss, this is a joy to me," was all that the artist volunteered. The build, from textures to design to lighting, is exquisitely crafted, and is worth exploring by flying after reaching the base.